Samuel Merritt College names new dean of podiatric medicine

Samuel Merritt College has named John Venson, DPM, as the new dean of its California School of Podiatric Medicine, effective Monday.

Venson succeeds Albert Burns, DPM, who said this spring that he would return to a full-time faculty position after working as dean at the Oakland college since 2001.

In his role as dean, Venson is the podiatric school's chief administrative and academic officer, in charge of its administration and curriculum. Major goals include enhancing Samuel Merritt's alliances with hospitals to create additional clinical clerkship and residency opportunities, promoting clinical research and strengthening ties between the college and the podiatric community, the college said.

Since receiving his Doctor of Podiatric Medicine in 1976, Venson has had a variety of jobs in podiatric medical education, accreditation, credentialing and management, most recently as associate director of credentials at the American Board of Podiatric Surgery in San Francisco.

Samuel Merritt College -- founded in 1909 on "Pill Hill" in Oakland -- offers an undergraduate degree in nursing; master's degrees in nursing, occupational therapy, and physician assistant; and doctoral degrees in physical therapy and podiatric medicine.

Its California School of Podiatric Medicine, formerly known as the California College of Podiatric Medicine, was founded in 1914. It was located in San Francisco's Western Addition until August 2001, when it temporarily was housed at Touro University's College of Osteopathic Medicine in Vallejo. The school, one of just eight podiatric medical schools in the United States and the only one on the West Coast, merged with Samuel Merritt in July 2002, moved to Oakland and changed its name.